One of the most oft-referenced “favorite” chocolate desserts of my chocolate tour guests is the infamous chocolate lava cake. Sometimes referred to as “molten chocolate cake,” whatever it’s called, there’s a reason it’s not hard to find these on almost every restaurant dessert menu anywhere. As a matter of fact, at D Bar desserts in Denver calls their’s on their menu “molten cake thingy everybody has…”
In light of this, I thought I would share my favorite lava cake recipe. It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, nor does it require making a separate filling. I’ve made this for friends and roommates, and it’s always been a big hit!
Ingredients:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
melted butter to grease ramekins
1. In a large glass bowl, break up bittersweet chocolate. Add butter, and microwave on high for 2 minutes until melted and smooth, stirring halfway through. Stir until smooth; cool slightly.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whip eggs and sugar on medium-high speed of an electric mixer, or by hand, until tripled in volume, about 6 to 7 minutes.
3. Fold egg mixture into chocolate and divide among 8 well-buttered 6-ounce ramekins or molds. (If you don’t have that many, make the cakes in shifts.) Bake at 350° for 15 to 17 minutes or until top is just set.
4. Invert cakes onto plates and serve.
Note: Cakes can be baked a day ahead and warmed in the microwave briefly before serving.
You can garnish these with mint chocolate chip ice cream, raspberry syrup, or even a bit of peanut butter that’s been warmed up in the microwave! ENJOY!
